Mediterranean Skies (if only)

I'm in the shed again. This is the view from my window. It's beautiful and bright here today and the wall and little turretthing reminds me of being in France or Spain. This building is now disused and dilapidated - I've been inside and it's SO cool. Parts of the floor are missing, it's very dusty, now used to store god knows what and a whole load of rather expensive-looking wine. It used to be the village bakehouse, hence the turretthing I guess.

Well, this is just a short post to say nothing really. The juicer is still going well. I've just finished my morning juice, served in my favourite mug, which was a present from my husband, because Jeeves and Wooster is cool!

Toiletries Bag Rowan Handknit DK

I finished my toiletries bag (well, apart from the lining that is). I think it's turned out rather well, though I'll probably change the blue heart for a bead, to stop the squeezy stopper thing (what are those called???) coming off the pull cord.

Apologies for the damp patch on the tea towel I've used to stop my white table adding glare to the photo.

For anyone who wants to make the toiletries bag here is the pattern:

Cast on 42 stitches (Handknit DK, appropriate sized needles).

Row 1: purl 2, knit 3; repeat this rib to the end

Row 2: purl

Repeat these two rows until 66 rows have been completed.

Row 67: purl 2, knit 2 tog, yarn over, knit one; repeat this to the end

Row 68: purl

Row 69 - 74: as row 1

Row 75 cast-off: knit 1, cast on 2, (knit 1, cast-off 1) 3 times; repeat to end until all stitches have been cast-off

I'm now at the heel of my 2nd purple beady sock. Then I'm not sure what to knit. Cucumberpatch has a sale on at the moment of some good Rowan wool (colours, obviously, a bit unique) and I was tempted to knit this in deep pink:

but I still don't have the attention span to knit a big project. So I might instead just carry on doing little stuff. (As I've said before, I thoroughly recommend buying from cucumberpatch. Stuff is dispatched very quickly and the order is always correct.)

My little kitty isn't pregnant after all but seems to be on heat again. Poor wee thing. Not quite as bad as last time. She's coming home more frequently and isn't always covered in mud and looking tatty! Will definitely take her to the vet to get spayed once she's recovered from this episode.

A final look at my lovely drawstring bag:

Dead Uncles

Yesterday when speaking to my dad on the phone he told me that my uncle Jimmy (my mother's sister's husband) had died suddenly. It had come as a complete shock to everyone. However it transpired my uncle Jimmy had known for some time that he had something (my dad didn't know what) inside him that could burst any time and kill him. He'd chosen not to share this with his wife or children because my aunt was also ill and he didn't want to worry her.

I didn't know my uncle Jimmy very well. My mother comes from a large, extended family and most of them stayed in Dumfries, got married, and had large, extended families themselves.

What struck me, when I heard the news that he'd died, was how awful it must've been for him to have lived with that knowledge and not shared it with anyone. To have not had the support of the people who loved him. What a dreadfully lonely burden that must've been.

The Ginger Princess, and Beautiful Blue

I know I said I had gone off knitting but I saw the new range of colours in John Lewis on Saturday and fell in love with this blue Rowan Handknit DK. It's so gorgeous and I've been needing a toiletries bag for ages so decided to make one. The colour is slightly deeper than the photo shows. I'll knit two sides, do a picot edging at the top, sew them together and then line it with either waterproof or cotton lining, depending on whether I can find waterproof lining anywhere! I'll also make some little holes near the top so I can thread through some cord and get one of those little (I don't know what they're called) things to keep it bunched up. I'll buy one, photograph it and stick it on here.

I'm in my shed again today. This is just a quickie post before I get on with what I want to do today.

We bought a juicer at the weekend and have been juicing a ton of fruit every day since. It's SO great. My favourite is apple, pear and ginger but I also like orange juice a lot.

My little cat is showing no signs of being pregnant now. I'm still hopeful though. She can use her cat flap perfectly fine, but when we're around she likes to be butlered through. This is the Ginger Princess waiting for me to open the flap to let her in:
She's SO beautiful. What you can't see from the photograph, though, is the trail of blood along the bottom of the flap where she's dragged her mice into the house. She's such a cold, calculated killer, but SO cute!

Purple Beady Sock

Another day in the shed - I've had two days off and it's been SO nice to get up at a decent time (instead of six thirty) and have breakfast with my husband and cat, and prepare the house for the day, and then come into my shed with my laptop and loveheart teapot and coffee and all my bits and pieces and do Polly stuff.

I finished the purple sock in about half an hour. Knitting has really taken a back seat with me recently. Socks are about the only size of projects I can undertake at the moment. A larger item would have no progress made on it. Now I just have to knit the second sock...

Actually, it's been good to take a rest from all things knitted. I still love it but don't find it compulsive at the moment.

Anyway, it's the end of the day and time to return to the house.

I had further acupuncture done on Friday and so far am really feeling the benefit of it. I have another two sessions booked, then will have to see.

A side view:

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